"I especially valued the very personalized comments and suggestions from Sunada, something I could not get from books or recordings, and possibly not even from a face-to-face class, where questions and responses need to be matched to the group."

- Julie, UK

May Online Classes Now Registering

Learn meditation or Buddhism online! Wildmind offers 4-week courses suitable for complete beginners to experienced practitioners. You'll have the opportunity to work directly with an experienced teacher, who provides each student with personalized, one-on-one feedback.

All of our courses offer a content-rich and interactive experience, with online readings, guided meditations in MP3 or RealAudio format, personal journals, and a discussion forum -- all available 24/7 so you can practice wherever and whenever is convenient for you. All you need is a computer with sound capability and a recent web browser.

May 2007 Issue
Transforming Anger

Anger is such a powerful emotion. And more often than we care to admit, it leads to hatred, blame, pain, and suffering. But it doesn't have to be that way. Anger is simply a strong reaction to something we feel is wrong. It's when anger turns into hatred -- the desire to punish or get revenge -- that things go badly.

We begin this month's exploration of anger with Prasada Caroline Brazier's perspective -- that skillfully managed anger can propel us to work for positive change in the world. In our Quote of the Month, Bodhipaksa distinguishes between anger and hatred, and explains how to deal with anger as it arises. We also review the book, Detox Your Heart by Valerie Mason-John, that offers practical methods for working constructively with the many negative emotions that come up in our lives.

Enjoy!

In This Issue:

$100 Special Offer on Life Memberships

Burning Issues

Meditation Q&A

Quote of the Month: Lyman Abbott

Book review: Detox Your Heart by Valerie Mason-John

Meditation in the News: Top 5 Stories From Last Month

$100 Special Offer on Life Memberships

During May, we're offering a special price on Life Memberships. The first 10 people who sign up pay only $100 (normally $195)!

Life Membership offers you full, permanent access to all of the materials in Wildmind's four meditation courses, plus one complimentary Wildmind guided meditation CD of your choice. It's perfect for anyone who wants a self-directed course of study.

Burning Issues

Is anger necessarily a bad thing? Guest author Prasada Caroline Brazier of Amida Trust asserts that it's not always the case. Sometimes, facing our anger with skill, courage, and wisdom can reveal a powerful energy within us -- something that can fuel our passion to make the world a better place.

Meditation Q&A

A student writes: "I feel strongly committed to establishing a regular meditation practice. My goal is to sit for an hour every day -- which I can do IF I get to my cushion. But I have such a busy life -- including a demanding job and a family, too. So I end up meditating only once or twice a week. I am so frustrated that I can't do more!"

Students who take Wildmind’s online courses have the opportunity to talk about their practice and get personal feedback from the teacher. Here is a recent exchange from one of our meditation courses.

Quote of the Month

"Do not teach your children never to be angry; teach them how to be angry."
- Lyman Abbott

Too often, we fail to distinguish between our anger and hatred. And that's what leads to the all-too-familiar situation where someone gets hurt or something is damaged. Bodhipaksa gives us pointers on how to work with anger when it arises, so that we can begin to deal with this potent emotion in more positive and creative ways.

Book Review

Anger, hatred, resentment, fear, jealousy, greed -- what do we do with these "toxic" emotions? This very practical book gives us no-nonsense advice and helpful exercises on how to work directly with tough emotions -- how to recognize them, work with them creatively, and transform them through the power of mindfulness and self-love.

Meditation in the News:
Top Five Stories of Last Month

God Is in the Dendrites: Can "neurotheology" bridge the gap between religion and science? (Slate.com) 26 Apr. Looking back, it was the intellectual high point of my summer: Ten science and religion reporters sitting inside the divinity building at Cambridge University, contemplating the essence of a raisin. Read more

TOP STORY IN SOCIETY

Woman Offers Meditation To The Homeless: First Project Of Its Kind In Nation (ABC7) 4 Apr. If you are homeless in the Bay Area, there are a number of places you can turn to for shelter, clothing and food. But none is as unusual as a one-woman effort now underway in San Francisco. She's offering peace of mind. Read more

TOP STORY IN EDUCATION

Meditation brings spirit of calm to school life (Fairfax Digital) 28 Apr. Children as young as five should be taught the ancient spiritual practice of meditation alongside religious doctrine, the leader of its modern Christian revival says. Read more

TOP STORY IN ARTS

The director and the Dalai Lama: Film offers spiritual insight (Inside Bay Area) 27 Apr. An interview with Rick Ray, who wrote, directed, narrates and appears in the film "10 Questions for the Dalai Lama", which premiered at the Bend (Oregon, USA) Film Festival in 2006. Read more (or visit movie web site)

TOP STORY IN COMPUTERS

Faithful build a Second Life for religion online (USA Today) 2 Apr. The virtual world of Second Life is opening new windows on religious and spiritual expression. Theologians and philosophers may debate the authenticity of cyber religious life, but out on the Internet faith frontier, believers are too busy to listen. Read more